Electrical connector



Sept. 8, 1964 R. c. PATToN ELECTRICAL ,CONNECTOR Filed Julg 19, 1962 llllllllll. "Iva llllllll IIIIIIIIIII f Aumumlm.

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ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,148,012 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Ralph C. Patton, 86 Blackstone Blvd., Providence 6, RJ. Filed .Iuly 19, 1962, Ser. No. 211,033 2 Claims. (Cl. 339-256) This invention relates generally to electrical connectors and in particular to the female member of a two part device adapted to readily establish electrical continuity between terminal ends of leads or the like.

There are various types of electrical connectors now in use in the electrical industry which employ the principle of mating a detent on the female member with a depression on the male spade member. However, to provide an electrically eiiicient combination which may be subjected to a minimum degree of angular deformation the positioning of the detent of the female connector is eX* tremely critical. Compounding the problem of the relative location of the detent is the necessity of reducing to a minimum the additional resistance offered by the connector device to the ilow of electrical energy.

Since connectors of this particular type are connected and disconnected a large number of times, the inherent resiliency of both the male and female members must be such to resist distortion by thermal expansion and contraction and the relative deformation therebetween clearly controlled.

Furthermore to eiciently produce connector members of this type, they are produced in strip form in a progressive die operation wherein the cost of tool maintenance becomes extremely important. Consequently the formation of a connector by utilizing a complicated punch and die arrangement must be avoided as they are fragile and subject to fatigue.

Therefore it is an object of this invention to provide an electrical connector which can be formed by utilizing short, stiff and economically replaceable punches.

Another object of this invention is to provide an electrical connector which will maintain its inherent resiliency for a long life period.

Another object of this invention is to provide an electrical connector in which the mating portions of the male and female members are consistently and accurately positioned.

A further object of this invention is to provide an electrical connector which may be simply and easily manufactured without high tool maintenance costs.

A further object of this invention is to provide an electrical connector having male and female members which are simply and easily mated with a minimum of insertion pressure and yet maintain a high contact pressure.

A further object of this invention is to provide an electrical connector which resists vibration-caused disengagement and has constant electrical contact over the full length of the contact surfaces.

Other objects of this invention will, in part, be obvious and will, in part, appear hereinafter.

Broadly stated one feature of this invention is to provide an electrical connector having a female member in which a detent is consistently and accurately maintained in a central position on the surface of a base. This is accomplished by relieving the base at four positions radially disposed from the detent and compressing the metal therebetween to establish a spring temper. As a result the metal supporting the detent is guyed or supported from four directions resulting in accurately positioning the detent with respect to the side and end edges of the female member.

To the accomplishment of this and the foregoing related ends, the present invention then consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed ice out in the claims, the annexed drawings and the following description setting forth in detail certain means in the carrying out of the invention, such disclosed means illustrating, however, but one of the various ways in which the principle in the invention may be employed.

In the drawings:

FIG. l is a View in perspective of the male and female members of the invention in the disconnect position;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the female member;

FIG. 3 is an end View of the female member of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view in section taken on line 4 4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the male member utilized with the invention;

FIG. 6 is a view in side elevation, partly in section of the male member of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a View in section, illustrating the male and female members in cooperative engagement in the connect position; and

FIG. 8 is a top plan View of a modified form of this invention.

Reference is now to be had to the drawings wherein an illustrative embodiment of the connector, a construction made in accordance with the present invention and designated by the reference numeral 10 is shown. The connector 10 consists primarily of a male member 12 and a female member 14 adapted for cooperative sliding engagement with each other. The male member 12 is formed to provide a rectilinear blank of sheet metal having a tapered leading edge 16 to facilitate and guide its entry into the female member 14. Shoulders 18 and 20 are provided on the male member at a point spaced from the leading edge 16 to allow alignment of cooperating portions of the male and female members. An extension 22 is positioned posteriorly of the shoulders 18 and 2G and has a lirst pair of arms 24 and 26 extending normal to the plane of the extension and adapted for deformation around the noninsulated portion 28 of the wire lead 30 to provide electrical contact therewith. A second pair of arms 32 and 34 extend normal to the plane of the extension and are spaced from the first pair of arms and are adapted for deformation by a suitable tool around the insulated portion of the lead wire and serves to maintain the male member in assembly therewith.

A detent 36 is positioned on the surface 38 of each face of the male member 12 substantially at the center of the rectilinear blank and spaced an equal distance from the side edges 40 and 42 and adapted for a purpose to be set forth more fully hereinafter. However, it should be noted that a properly positioned aperture could perform the same function as detent 36.

The female member 14 is formed from a rectilinear blank of sheet metal with the side edges 44 and 46 bent upwardly to extend normal to the plane of the blank and the free end portions 48 and 50 of the side edges eX- tending toward each other. This configuration defines a channel having a base 52, interior side walls 54 and lip portions 56 which are parallel to but spaced from the base 52 a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the male member 12. An extension 57 of the base 52 is positioned posteriorly thereto having a lesser width and has a rst pair of arms 58 and 6i) extending normal to the side edges 62 and 64. Arms 58 and 60 are adapted for deformation into co-operative engagement with the uninsulated portion 66 of the lead wire 68 to provide electrical continuity between the source and the connector. A second pair of arms 70 and 72 extend normal to the plane of the extension, are spaced from the first pair and are adapted for deformation by a suitable tool into engagement with the insulated portion of the lead wire 68 to maintain the female member in assembly therewith.

A tapered neck portion 74 joins the base 52 with the extension 57 and has its side walls 76 and 78 extending upwardly normal to the plane of the neck portion and serves to strengthen the device against deformation during the connect and disconnect operation. The base 52 is. subjected to a punch anddie operation wherein four circular apertures S are formed therein having centers which are equally spaced from the mid-point of the surface of the base. Simultaneously with or subsequent to the forming of the apertures S0 the material of the base is compressed, thereby resulting in the formation of an upwardly extending dome 84 which is located at a point radially equidistant from the centers of each of the apertures Sil. In this manner it can be seen that the dome which is adapted for co-operative snap engagement with the detent 35 of the male member 12 can be consistentlyr and accurately positioned at the mid-point of the base surface of the female member I4. Furthermore the inherent resilient characteristics of the base 52 can be closely controlled by the guying action of the four supporting beams 82 and any tendency of the female member I4 to become fatigued after repeated use is reduced due to the multiple support exerted on the arched portion.

A modified form of the female member 14a is illustrated in FIG. 8 wherein the rectilinear blank of sheet metal has the side edges 44a and 46a extending upwardly normal to the plane or the blank with the free end portions 48a and Sila extending toward but spaced from each other. The channel member thereby formed is similar to the basic form and has a base 52a, interior side walls 54a and lip portions 56a which are spaced from the base a distance slightly greater than the thickness of a male member to be inserted therein. However, the distinction over the basic form exists in the formation of four square or rectangular apertures tla having centers which are equally spaced from the mid-point of the base surface of the female member 14a. By compressing the base 52a, a dome 34a is formed which is exactly positioned at the mid-point of the face of the female member and at a point where a continuation of diagonals of each of the square or rectangular apertures 30a intersect.

Therefore, it can be seen that the mating portion of the female connector can be consistently and accurately positioned at the mid-point of the hase by the relative Iii) orientation with either four circular or square apertures. In the manufacture of this unique and novel connector simple punches which have a relatively long life can be utilized, thereby eliminating the need for costly shut down time to replace punches of a more elaborate design. And by providing four supporting members for the resilient base portion of the female member, the possibility of fatigue after repeated operation is materially reduced.

While there have been described herein what are at present considered preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the essence of the invention. It is therefore to be understood that the exemplary embodiments are illustrative and not restrictive of the invention, the scope of which is dened in the appended claims, and that all modications that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be included therein.

I claim:

l, An electrical connector comprising; a male member and a female member, said male member having a horizontal blade and a centrally located detent in said blade, said female member having a horizontal base Wall, upturned side walls and retaining lips extending inwardly from the upper edges of said side walls, said base wall having a centrally located upstruck dome formed therein for snap engagement with said male detent, said base wall being perforated to form four beam portions extending radially from said dome, the longitudinal axes of said beam portions disposed ninety degrees apart, said beam portions being upwardly compacted to resiliently support said dome.

2. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said beam portions are entirely compacted to a plane above the lower surface of said horizontal base wall.

References Cited in the lile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,600,190 Batcheller June l0, 1952 2,735,998 Martines Feb. 21, 1956 2,789,275 Batcheller Apr. 16, 1957 2,948,876 Batcheller Aug. 9, 1960 

1. AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR COMPRISING; A MALE MEMBER AND A FEMALE MEMBER, SAID MALE MEMBER HAVING A HORIZONTAL BLADE AND A CENTRALLY LOCATED DETENT IN SAID BLADE, SAID FEMALE MEMBER HAVING A HORIZONTAL BASE WALL, UPTURNED SIDE WALLS AND RETAINING LIPS EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM THE UPPER EDGES OF SAID SIDE WALLS, SAID BASE WALL HAVING A CENTRALLY LOCATED UPSTRUCK DOME FORMED THEREIN FOR SNAP ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID MALE DETENT, SAID BASE WALL BEING PERFORATED TO FORM FOUR BEAM PORTIONS EXTENDING RADIALLY FROM SAID DOME, THE LONGITUDINAL AXES OF SAID BEAM PORTIONS DISPOSED NINETY DEGREES APART, SAID BEAM PORTIONS BEING UPWARDLY COMPACTED TO RESILIENTLY SUPPORT SAID DOME. 